The Truth About Microcracks: What Headlight Restoration DIY Kits DON'T Tell You | 2013 Cadillac ATS

Hello everyone! In this video I am doing restoration on a 2013 Cadillac ATS. It had some basic oxidation, chipping clear coat and worst of all Microcracking. I've noticed almost no other headlight restorers on YouTube explains or show microcracks and neither do DIY Restoration kits. This job gave me the perfect opportunity to show how deep microcracking and be, thanks to the headlights unique design. Microcracks can either be really bad or minor like this Cadillac. Most DIY Kits only talk about light hazing, and no other issues like severe oxidation, intact clear coat or other issues you may run into. Not every headlight can be done with regular DIY Kits.

Microcracks in the headlight are caused by the polycarbonate expanding and contracting due to constantly heating up and cooling down. These tiny cracks can be very large, or very small, and can be deep in the lens. This is why its important to explain to the customer that you won't be able to remove them. Some microcracking can be present on the top layer of the lens, in which case you can restore them, but any deeper, the only solution is to replace the headlight. I go over the cracks at the 9:00 Minute Mark.

The clear coat was still pretty intact on the passenger side, so I used the 320 to break thru the clear coat, then I continued with the 400/600, where as the driver side clear coat was already deteriorating, so I was able to do a 400/600 method.

Shoutout to Tom Demarco for giving me the idea to go over microcracking, and the symptoms you can have when they are present!

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